The Princess and The Pirate
by fangs.number1.fangirl
Summary: AU. Annabeth Chase receives a quest to find Aphrodite's Treasure, which has been missing for centuries. On her way, she encounters the cursed pirate Captain Perseus Jackson and his demigod crew, who are searching for the world's most valuable treasure - the only thing that will break the curse. Captain Jackson believes Aphrodite's Treasure will finally set him free ... but will it?
1. Chapter 1

Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena, received the most important quest of her life when she was just seventeen.

She was to set sail across the Aegean Sea in search of Aphrodite's Treasure, and she had twelve days to retrieve it and bring it back to Greece. The myth about the treasure was that the goddess Aphrodite had fallen in love with a mortal named Cristovao hundreds of years ago, and as a gift to remember her by, she'd given him her 'heart' – the treasure, which she'd put in a jeweled box and stored safely in Athens, where Cristovao lived. But soon after Aphrodite gave Cristovao her gift, her mortal lover was killed in a raid on his village. Vicious pirates had swarmed Athens and pillaged the city, leaving nothing unturned. They'd stolen everything they could get their hands on, including Aphrodite's Treasure.

Days ago, Annabeth had been at home in New York, studying for her SAT's, when Aphrodite herself appeared and asked her to retrieve the treasure.

"But – it's been missing for hundreds of years," Annabeth had pointed out. "And I don't even know what it is. How am I supposed to find it?"

"You're a daughter of Athena," Aphrodite had said with a coy smile. "I'm sure you'll figure it out." She waved a hand in the air. "Your schedule has been cleared for the next two weeks. You will go to Greece – alone – and there you will find a ship waiting for you. You have twelve days to find the treasure and return it to Athens."

Annabeth was honored that she'd been chosen for the task, but still, she asked, "Why me?"

Aphrodite smiled again, and it was gentle and sweet. "You'll see, Annabeth. I would retrieve the treasure myself, but unfortunately it is out of my reach."

Annabeth had learned not to ask too many questions when it came to the gods. If they wanted you to do something, you did it.

"What exactly _is _the treasure?" she asked. "No one's seen it for centuries."

"I am forbidden from intervening too much, but I can tell you this: the item you seek is not one, but two. And it will be easier to find than you think."

The gears in Annabeth's overactive demigod mind started turning on overdrive while she tried to process what that meant. The goddess of love smiled.

"I have faith in you, Annabeth. There is a reason I chose you for this quest. When the time comes, you will understand. You have a great destiny, child of Athena, one filled with adventure, danger, passion . . . and a romance so epic it cannot be rivaled by even the gods' love stories."

Annabeth's eyes widened. Epic romance? She'd never even had a boyfriend before.

"I . . . I'll do my best to find the treasure," Annabeth said, straightening her posture. "I'll bring it back to Athens on time."

Aphrodite smiled again and nodded. "I know you will. Good luck, Annabeth. And I'll tell your mother you said hello." And with that, the goddess of love disappeared, leaving Annabeth alone in her bedroom, her SAT prep books spread out around her.

The next day, she'd gotten on a plane to Greece.

It was hard saying goodbye to her father – he thought it was dangerous for her to go alone, but Aphrodite had told her she had to. Reluctantly, her father let her go. She was thinking about him now as she stood in front of the ship Aphrodite had promised would be waiting for her. Annabeth stood on the docks, rubbing her good luck charm with her thumb. It was a necklace her father had bought for her when she was twelve; nothing special, just a small, circular silver disc on a plain silver chain. But it was her most prized possession. She hardly ever took it off.

"Miss Chase?" someone said, and Annabeth turned to see a man standing behind her on the docks. He was dressed like the captain of a ship, armed with a sword, and he bowed slightly to her. "My name is Captain Xavier Wells, son of Hephaestus. This is my vessel, here, the Cleopatra_. _I've been ordered to give you safe passage across the Aegean."

Annabeth nodded her head to him. "Nice to meet you, Captain Wells. I'm Annabeth, daughter of Athena."

Captain Wells smiled at her. "We set sail in ten minutes."

"Son of Hephaestus," Annabeth muttered, staring at the Cleopatra_. _It was an impressive ship – not that she had anything to compare it to, because she'd never seen one in person before – but it was big and looked sturdy. The crew was milling around on deck, preparing for departure. "Did you build this ship?"

The captain nodded proudly. "I did. I can assure you we'll be safe against any obstacles we may face on our journey."

"Do you know where we're going?" she asked him. Captain Wells looked at her and shook his head with a small smile of regret.

"I was told to sail until you tell me to stop," he said. "Aphrodite said you would know when."

Annabeth sighed. She should've known this was the way things were going to go. Here she was, about to set sail on a quest to find a mysterious treasure that had been missing for hundreds of years, without any idea of what it was or where it was or where she was going.

"All right, then," she said. "I suppose we'd better get going."

She and the captain boarded the ship. The crewmembers nodded respectfully to each of them as they passed. Annabeth followed Captain Wells up to the quarterdeck and stood beside him at the wheel of the ship. She looked out towards the sea. The wind was blowing her blonde hair back, and the smell of the salty ocean made her close her eyes as she took in a long breath. The scent seemed to awaken something in her; suddenly, she knew where to go.

Captain Wells was looking at her expectantly.

"North," she said, keeping her eye on the horizon. "We'll go north."

And so the Cleopatra set sail across the Aegean Sea, in search of a treasure that had been long lost.


	2. Chapter 2

They spent two days sailing aimlessly, when Annabeth finally got the feeling that they needed to stop.

She'd been trying to get some rest below decks when there was a strange feeling in her chest, like something was pulling her out towards the sea. She dressed quickly in a pair of tight brown leather breeches, tall black boots, and a white long-sleeved peasant top tucked into her pants. She had a sword and scabbard attached to her waist; Annabeth had been training with a sword all her life, as all demigods did, so she knew perfectly well how to use her weapon. She twisted her blonde hair into a ponytail and tied a brown leather bandana around her head. A few stray wisps escaped from her ponytail to frame her face. When she looked in the mirror, she almost laughed. She looked . . . like a pirate.

She climbed above deck and made her way to the wheel, where Captain Wells was standing. He looked at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Lay anchor here," she said. She was sure they had to stop.

The captain looked around doubtfully. "We're in the middle of the ocean." There was no land around them for miles – nothing but empty, wide-open sea. But Annabeth was positive this was where they had to stop.

"Lay anchor," she said again. "I'm sure of it."

Captain Wells nodded and shouted the orders to the crew. They didn't question it. Annabeth watched them raise the sails and heave the anchor overboard, and she walked down to the main deck to stand at the rail of the ship. She didn't know what she was looking for, exactly, but she kept her eyes trained on the horizon.

The Cleopatra's crew was silent. They were all waiting, but for what, Annabeth still didn't know.

Then, suddenly, dense clouds of fog appeared on the horizon.

Annabeth's heart caught in her throat. She leaned forward in anticipation. Her skin started buzzing with excitement.

Captain Wells stood beside her, squinting at the fog. Nobody moved or made a sound.

"Is that . . ." Annabeth said, leaning forward a little more.

"A ship," one of the crewmembers said. But for some reason, he sounded terrified. "Captain, that's . . ."

Captain Wells nodded gravely, his face pale. "Aye."

"What?" Annabeth asked. She still couldn't see the ship clearly – just the outline moving slowly through the fog, like a ghost ship. "What is it?"

"Have you ever heard the stories about Captain Jackson?" Captain Wells asked her, and Annabeth nodded.

"Of course. Everyone has." Her father had told her bedtime stories when she was younger about the cursed Captain Perseus Jackson, son of Poseidon, god of the seas. Captain Jackson was the most feared pirate in all the seven seas. He was a demigod who'd been cursed by his father after Perseus destroyed one of Poseidon's sacred temples in a raid. The stories were all about how Captain Jackson was doomed to sail the world forever, never stepping foot on land, eternally searching for the world's most valuable treasure – a treasure that could, apparently, never be found. His curse would only be lifted if he ever found the treasure. The bedtime stories Annabeth's father used to tell her were always full of adventure and excitement and danger. Although they were cursed, to Annabeth, Captain Jackson and his demigod crew had always seemed a bit like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys.

Captain Wells was staring at her, and Annabeth shook her head in dismay. "No. Those are just stories. None of it's real . . ." Her sentence trailed off as she looked back out towards the fog, which was slowly rolling closer to the Cleopatra_. _She could see the ghost ship clearly now – it was slightly bigger than the one she was on now_, _with ghostly white sails that seemed to shimmer in the wind. They looked like they were made from seashells, although that was impossible. The flag waving in the wind was deep, dark blue with a picture of a turquoise trident on it. The symbol of Poseidon. Annabeth's gray eyes widened.

"It can't be . . ." she said.

"That's the Pride," Captain Wells said quietly as the ship grew closer. "Poseidon's Pride."

Annabeth's heart started to beat faster with adrenaline.

Everyone on board the Cleopatra was silent as the grave as the Pride approached them. For a second, Annabeth thought it would pass right by them, but then . . . it stopped. She couldn't see anyone on board, but that didn't mean they weren't there.

Before she knew what she was doing, Annabeth had grabbed onto one of the ropes that hung from the side of the ship. She slashed it with her sword and swung across the space between the two ships, landing with both feet on the railing of the Pride. Almost immediately, fifteen swords were pointed at her out of nowhere. She held hers out in front of her in defense, her blood singing for battle.

The crewmembers aboard the Pride were all . . . kids. Most of them looked her age, maybe younger. There were a few that were older. They all had gnarled, matted hair and dirt on their faces, and they were all giving her a murderous look.

"I demand to speak to your captain," Annabeth said loudly, her voice forceful.

They laughed, and she frowned, pointing her sword higher.

"I am Annabeth Chase, daughter of Athena. And I demand an audience with Captain Perseus. I'm on a quest to find Aphrodite's Treasure."

She watched the reaction to her words carefully. The Pride's crewmembers all shared quick glances with one another, and a few quiet whispers passed between them.

"What do _you_ want with it?" one of them demanded.

"The goddess herself came to me personally and asked me to retrieve it," she said, feeling proud of herself. "I am to return it to Athens within the next ten days."

The crewmembers looked like they didn't know what to do with themselves now. Some of their weapons began to lower hesitantly, but Annabeth kept hers raised. Then, suddenly, a new voice rose out from the crowd.

"What a coincidence. _We're_ looking for Aphrodite's Treasure, too."

Annabeth looked up.

Standing on top of a platform in the middle of the main deck was a boy who couldn't have been more than eighteen years old. He had shaggy jet black hair and sea green eyes, and he was dressed like Annabeth expected a pirate should be dressed – boots, black pants, a white shirt under a black tunic, a black coat that reached his knees, and a black captain's hat. He had a bunch of necklaces hanging around his neck, and he wore a thick belt around his waist with his sword and pistol attached to it. He was actually . . . kinda hot, although Annabeth would never admit that out loud. She raised her chin in defiance.

"Perseus Jackson," she said challengingly. He grinned at her, showing off straight white teeth. For a pirate, he was surprisingly clean.

"That's _Captain _Perseus Jackson. But please, call me Percy." He gestured to his men to stand down, and the Pride's crewmembers lowered their weapons. Annabeth didn't. She kept her balance on the railing of the ship, her sword pointed, as Percy Jackson jumped off the platform he was standing on and strode toward her. He kept walking forward until the tip of Annabeth's sword was pointed directly at his heart.

"You can't kill me," he said matter-of-factly. "I'm cursed." He smiled at her and held out his hand to help her down. "Welcome aboard the Pride, Annabeth, daughter of Athena."


	3. Chapter 3

Annabeth looked at his outstretched hand for an uncertain moment. She felt a tug in her chest, like the one she'd felt only a few minutes earlier that told her where to anchor the ship. She took a deep breath and took the cursed captain's hand.

When their skin touched, electricity passed between them.

Annabeth snatched her hand back and looked at Percy in shock. He looked just as surprised as she did, rubbing his hand slowly.

"So you're looking for Aphrodite's Treasure," Annabeth said after a second, staring at him. He nodded. "Because you believe it's the valuable treasure that could end your curse."

Percy looked impressed. "You _are _a daughter of Athena."

"What if Aphrodite's Treasure isn't the most valuable treasure in the world?" she asked.

"What else could it be?" Percy shrugged. "I've been sailing these seas for almost a hundred years now. My crew and I have come across piles and piles of gold, heaps of riches beyond your wildest dreams, but nothing has ever worked. Aphrodite's Treasure is the only thing that's left." He sounded only the least bit uncertain, and Annabeth raised an eyebrow.

"Well, I need it," she said. "I need to bring it back to Athens in ten days."

Percy smirked, like he thought that was funny. "Do you?"

"It's my quest," she snarled. "I _will _find the treasure and I _will _bring it back to Athens. And you won't stop me."

To prove her point, she stood back and pointed her sword at his chest again. She knew she couldn't kill him, but she could try.

Percy grinned. He looked around at his crewmembers, who were all grinning mischievously back at him. Some of them were laughing.

"I'll make you a deal, Annabeth," Percy said.

"I don't make deals with filthy pirates," she snapped.

"Filthy? I'm offended. Personal hygiene is very important to me."

She narrowed her eyes and pointed her sword into his chest a little harder.

Captain Jackson sighed and flicked his hand. Without warning, a wave of seawater washed over the side of the ship and knocked Annabeth's sword out of her hand. It skittered to the feet of one of the crewmembers, who confiscated it with a grin.

Annabeth gritted her teeth. She reached into her boot and pulled out an ivory-handled dagger.

Percy smiled at her. "I like your style, Annabeth. How about this, then – we duel. If I win, you remain a captive on this ship until I decide I want to let you go, which could be five days from now or never."

"And if you lose?" Annabeth asked.

He smirked, and there was a twinkle in his green eyes. "If I lose, I'll let you go. But let me remind you that _you're _the one who jumped over here in the first place. And I know there must've been a reason."

Annabeth cursed to herself in her head. There _had _been a reason – that tug in her chest had made her cut the rope and swing over to the Pride without even thinking. Now, she was regretting it.

"I can offer a third option," Percy said.

"And what would that be?"

"You stay on board with me and my crew. You help us find Aphrodite's Treasure. I know you'll find it, seeing as how the goddess of love herself personally assigned you this quest, and I have a feeling you know more than you think you do. Once we find the treasure, if it's not the thing that's going to break my curse, I'll let you have it _and _I'll give you safe passage back to Athens," he said.

"What happens if it breaks the curse?" Annabeth asked curiously. Percy shrugged.

"Then the curse will be broken and I'll have no more use for the treasure. You can do whatever you want with it. It's a win-win situation for both of us, if you ask me."

Annabeth thought about it. She was careful not to give anything away as the gears in her mind whirred. She glanced quickly back at the Cleopatra, where Captain Wells and his crew were watching her anxiously.

Percy was watching her carefully, his green eyes fixed on her face. Annabeth searched them cautiously. She didn't see anything she didn't like – oddly enough, she saw trust, and honesty, and even respect. He didn't _seem _like the most feared pirate in all the seven seas.

"What'll it be, then?" he asked her, and slowly, she let the arm that was holding her dagger fall back to her side. She put the weapon back in her boot.

"I'll go with you," she said.

Percy grinned and held out his hand. Annabeth shook it. Another shock of electricity passed between the two of them.

"We have a deal," he said. And when he smiled at her, for some reason, Annabeth smiled back.

"We have a deal . . . pirate," she said.


	4. Chapter 4

Annabeth stood at the helm of Poseidon's Pride, watching Captain Wells and the Cleopatra sail back towards Athens. After they'd tossed over her pack with her things in it, Annabeth had thanked the captain and his crew for aiding her on her journey and sent them on their way. Captain Wells had offered to sail behind the Pride and accompany them if anything went wrong, but Annabeth had declined. That tug in her chest was guiding all of her decisions now, and it was telling her that she needed to send the Cleopatra back the way it came.

When the Cleopatra disappeared on the horizon, Annabeth closed her eyes and breathed in the smell of the sea. She had to figure out where they were going next.

Behind her, the Pride's demigod crew was shouting things at each other as they hoisted the sails and prepared the ship. Captain Jackson had gone below deck a few minutes ago, but when Annabeth opened her eyes, he was standing right next to her. She jumped, startled, and the captain grinned at her.

He was holding a compass. He stared at it for a few moments, frowned as if he didn't like what he saw, and then sighed.

"I would think, being the son of Poseidon and all, that you'd have natural bearings at sea," Annabeth pointed out, and Percy winced.

"I usually do. It's part of my curse. The world's most valuable treasure – the one thing that will break the curse – is the only thing I can't find on my own. Not even my compass works," he said morosely. "It's supposed to point to one thing and one thing only – what I'm looking for – but the stupid thing's broken."

"Well, then maybe you shouldn't have destroyed your father's sacred temple," Annabeth said. Percy looked angry, and for a second Annabeth was worried he'd pull out his sword, but then he sighed and shook his head. He leaned against the side of the ship and stared out at the ocean, his face forlorn.

"I regret what I did," he said quietly. "I learned my lesson a long time ago. I've apologized to my father a thousand times, prayed for forgiveness, but he doesn't listen. I've been eighteen years old for a hundred years, and I won't age again until I find the treasure."

Annabeth's eyes widened. "Wow. You've been eighteen for a hundred years?"

"A hundred and seven, if we're really counting. But yes."

"What happens if you try to step on land?" she asked, watching him as his eyes swept over the waters.

"I'll start to disintegrate. Wither into dust. I can't leave the ship until the curse is broken, or I'll die," he explained. "So every time we anchor somewhere, my crew gets to leave and search for the treasure while I'm stuck here."

He sounded bitter and sad, and Annabeth actually started to feel sorry for him. Without thinking, she put her hand on his arm.

"I'm so sorry, Percy," she said gently. He shook his head.

"Don't be. It's my burden to bear."

He stared out at sea for a couple more seconds before he sighed and straightened up. He reached inside his long black coat and came out with a rolled up piece of fabric.

"What's that?"

"A map of Italy, Greece and all the surrounding seas," he said. "You're going to tell me where we're headed next."

Annabeth opened her mouth to say she didn't know, but when Percy unrolled the map and laid it flat, the tug in her chest pulled her forward. She leaned over the map and let her eyes flicker over it.

She knew without anyone having to tell her that they were slowly moving out of the Aegean and approaching the Mediterranean Sea. A bunch of tiny little islands dotted the map, and Annabeth read the names of them all twice before she found one that stood out to her.

"There," she said. "That's where we're headed."

Percy looked down. "The island of . . . it doesn't have a name."

"Right." The dot on the map was so small that it was barely noticeable, but it was there, and Annabeth knew that was where they needed to go. It was right past the island of Kithira.

Percy looked up at her with one eyebrow raised, and Annabeth met his gaze evenly. She crossed her arms over her chest and stared at him until he nodded.

"All right, then." He stood up. "Men! Set course for Kithira!"

The crewmembers followed his orders immediately.

"We'll skirt around it," he said to Annabeth. "Hopefully, we'll find . . . wherever it is you're leading us to."

"Trust me," she said with a nod. "I know what I'm doing."

"Are you sure you're not a daughter of Poseidon?" he asked her with a grin, and she couldn't help laughing.

"Pretty sure. I just . . . have a strong feeling. It's like there's this pull in my chest, leading me forward," she said.

Percy stared at her impassively for a few seconds, and it was frustrating for Annabeth not to be able to read his expression.

"What?" she demanded.

He shook his head slowly. "Nothing." Then he turned and walked down to the main deck, and Annabeth watched him disappear into the captain's quarters. She'd been given her own place below deck, where her pack was stored, but she wasn't tired yet. Her mind was too active. So many thoughts were running through her head – the foremost thought being that Captain Perseus Jackson was real and not just a bedtime story, and he was a cute boy, and Annabeth was standing on his ship, helping him find Aphrodite's Treasure. She was also worried about her father, and thinking about him, she rubbed her thumb over her good luck charm necklace again. The ocean breeze whipped her hair back as she stood at the side of the ship, and she noticed the waters were perfectly calm and peaceful. She wondered if that was Percy's doing. She'd seen what he could do – he'd knocked her sword out of her hand with a wave of water that he conjured with nothing but the flick of his wrist. Annabeth thought that the seas must always be calm for Percy's ship, because he was controlling them.

She thought about Percy's curse. How lonely that must be, sailing the seas for eternity with no one but his crew to talk to. She wondered how often they came across other people or other ships on the water. Then she remembered the way the Pride had materialized out of fog when she'd first spotted them on board the Cleopatra, and she wondered if maybe the ship was invisible. People could only see it if Percy allowed it.

Percy had allowed _her _to see it.

Annabeth kept rubbing her necklace while her thoughts ran rampant inside her head. She bit the inside of her cheek while she thought. Behind her, the crewmembers had started to sing. It was a slow, haunting song – a pirate's lament. She tilted her head so she could listen to the lyrics.

"Sail, we sail, on silent seas / the treasure we seek, we never shall see

Our curse, our curse, binds us by might / may the gods strike us down / if we ever lose sight

Of the burden we bear, for all eternity / the captain's curse, forever at sea

The captain's curse, forever at sea / forever, forever, forever at sea."

Annabeth listened to them sing it a few times before she joined in. Her soft, hypnotic soprano harmonized with the deep bass and tenor voices of the crew, and the wind carried their song out into the ocean.

"Forever, forever, forever at sea," Annabeth sang, and it sounded like a death march.


	5. Chapter 5

After three days on board the Pride, the crew began to warm up to Annabeth.

She helped out around deck – she did her part to make sure the ship stayed clean, and she followed the orders that Captain Percy gave, although he never asked her to. She wanted to. During the evenings, she'd join the captain for dinner in his quarters, and sometimes she'd join in on the games the crewmembers played with each other. They gambled, played dice, cards, placed bets and wagers. Annabeth found herself having _fun. _A lot of the crewmembers were funny, and they liked to make her laugh. They liked it when she sang with them.

Sometimes, she would have play-fights with a few of the crewmembers because they all wanted to see how good she was with a sword. She would always disarm her opponent within a few minutes.

The crew liked Annabeth, and Annabeth liked the crew. She was glad she'd met them.

She noticed Captain Percy staring at her a lot, but she could never read his expression, which was infuriating. A few times he would look at his compass and frown before he got frustrated and shoved it back in his jacket. He'd almost thrown it overboard once before he stopped himself.

On the fourth night of their journey, the last night before they were supposed to reach Kithira, Percy invited Annabeth to dinner again. She wore a dress which had been provided for her; Annabeth had seen the mounds of treasure that Percy and his crew had accumulated over the years, and among the treasure had been a chest full of women's dresses and clothes, oddly enough. She probably should've questioned it, but she didn't. And besides, the dress was beautiful – she felt like a character from a Jane Austen novel.

When she arrived at Percy's quarters that night, two of the crewmembers, the brothers Connor and Travis Stoll, opened the doors for her with a smile. The doors closed behind her, and strangely, Annabeth started to feel nervous.

"Annabeth," Percy breathed. He was standing in front of her, looking dangerously handsome in his best clothes. "You look . . . beautiful."

She blushed and actually _curtsied _to him. "Thank you, Percy."

He stared at her in wonder for a moment before he took her hand. "Please, come sit." He led her to the table, which was spread with a delicious meal big enough for the whole crew.

They each filled their plates in silence before Percy spoke again.

"I invited you here tonight because I wanted to talk," he said.

She smiled at him. "I'm listening. What do you want to talk about?"

He looked almost sad, and Annabeth wondered why. "Well . . . I know it's only been three days, but my men have grown to like you very much, Annabeth. Sailing for so long like we do, hardly ever coming in contact with other people . . . we grow attachments to people very quickly, and we've all sort of latched onto you."

"All of you?" Annabeth asked quietly, looking shyly up at him from under her lashes. He stared steadily at her and nodded.

"All of us," he said. "I . . . well, what I'm worried about is what's gonna happen after we find the treasure."

It didn't take Annabeth long to figure it out.

"You think that once we find it, that'll be it," she said. "We'll both make use of it and then we'll be on our separate ways and we'll never see each other again."

Percy nodded, looking sad again. For a second, Annabeth wanted to laugh. _How _had he gotten a reputation for being the most fearsome pirate who ever lived?

But then, those were really old stories. It had been a long time since Captain Perseus first became known to the world, and things had changed since then. He was lonely.

_Wow, _Annabeth thought, _they really are like Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. And I'm Wendy._

"Percy . . ." she said softly. She didn't know what to say. She wished she could tell him that they would see each other again, but she couldn't promise him that. She lived in New York, and she had school, and unless Aphrodite's Treasure was the thing that could break Percy's curse, he was doomed to spend the rest of eternity at sea. "If the treasure breaks your curse, then you'll be able to step foot on land. If that happens, we'll find a way to visit each other. I don't want to lose you guys. I've . . . grown an attachment to all of you, too."

He looked up at her sadly, his green eyes fixed on her gray ones. "But what if it doesn't break the curse? What if Aphrodite's Treasure is my last hope and it doesn't work?"

"I –"

"I'll never find it, Annabeth," he whispered, staring down at his plate. "I'll never find the most valuable treasure in the world."

He looked so depressed that Annabeth wanted to go over and hug him as hard as she could.

Then she had a thought.

"Wait a minute," she said, and Percy looked up. "What if . . . what if the most valuable treasure isn't actually _treasure?"_

"What do you mean?" he asked, and she heard the hint of hope in his voice.

"I mean, what if it isn't gold? What if it's something that can't be measured by weight or wealth?"

She could see his brain working as he thought about it. A crease formed between his eyebrows, and he scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"I'll keep thinking," Annabeth offered gently. "And if I figure it out, you'll be the first to know."

He smiled at her. "You're a daughter of Athena. Of course you'll figure it out, Wise Girl."

She smirked at the nickname. "Thanks . . . Seaweed Brain."

Percy laughed. "Seaweed Brain, huh? I like it. But don't ever call me that in front of my crew or I'll never hear the end of it."

"Aye aye, Captain," Annabeth winked. Percy's smile made her blush.

Silence fell as they both started to eat their dinner, and Annabeth kept feeling Percy's eyes on her. Her skin tingled, and she blushed even harder when she met his eyes again.

"I'm really glad you came with us, Annabeth," Percy said quietly. "You've only been here three days, but you're probably the best thing that's ever happened to this crew in a hundred years."

Now he was _trying _to make her blush. She smiled at him and hid her face so he wouldn't see.

"I'm glad I came with you, too," she said. "I feel like it was part of my quest. I was meant to come on board this ship. I was meant to find the treasure with you. I can feel it."

He nodded slowly. "I can feel it, too."

Suddenly, Annabeth heard the goddess Aphrodite's words in her head: _You have a great destiny, child of Athena, one filled with adventure, danger, passion . . . and a romance so epic it cannot be rivaled by even the gods' love stories. _

Adventure, check. Danger? Not yet, although Annabeth knew there must've been some coming. There had to be – there always was, with demigod quests. But passion? Epic romance?

She looked at Percy, who was staring at her again. Her skin began to tingle again, and that tug in her chest pulled at her heart. True, it had only been three days since she'd boarded the Pride, but it felt like so much longer. Time seemed to stretch out when you were sailing across the ocean.

There was a knock on the doors, and Percy looked up, a little annoyed. "What is it?"

Grover Underwood, Percy's first mate, entered the room with an anxious look on his face. He always seemed to be worried about something.

"We've reached Kithira, Captain," Grover said, twisting his hands together nervously.

"That's good news," Percy said. "Let's make port, rest for a while. The crew deserves to stretch their legs a little."

"That would be nice, Captain . . ." Grover looked back and forth between Percy and Annabeth, biting his lip. "Except that the island is swarming with monsters."


	6. Chapter 6

And there was the danger Annabeth knew was coming. Right on cue.

Percy sighed, as if the thought of facing a horde of monsters was just a minor inconvenience. "I guess we won't be able to stop, then." He waved his hand dismissively to Grover. "Just go around the island. It's not our main destination, anyway."

"No," Annabeth said. She shook her head when Percy looked at her curiously. "We're supposed to stop." She felt it in her bones, and anyway, she _wanted _to fight some monsters. She'd been wondering when her quest was going to start getting exciting. Her blood started humming with energy at the thought of a battle, and her hands twitched to hold a weapon.

Percy and Annabeth looked at each other for a long moment before the captain nodded. "Okay. If you say so." He turned back to Grover. "Lay anchor. No one leaves the ship until I give the orders."

"Yes, sir." Grover nodded and quickly left the room to alert the rest of the crew.

"I guess that concludes our dinner, then," Percy said a little regretfully, sighing at the unfinished meal in front of them. Annabeth smiled sadly.

"I'm sorry, Percy. It really was delicious, and I'm glad you invited me. I had fun."

He nodded and smiled at her, reaching for his famous sword. Percy was the owner of Anaklusmos – Riptide, which previously belonged to the hero Hercules. "And now it's time for battle."

"I should go change," Annabeth said. At the door, she turned back to look at the captain and smiled. "Thank you, Percy."

All he did was smile, but it was enough. Annabeth turned and left to go change into battle armor.

It was nighttime – the stars and constellations were shining brightly in the open sky, surrounding a pale silver moon that cast a faint light on the island of Kithira. Annabeth knew it wasn't uninhabited; there were people that lived there, although not many. The Pride had come ashore on the empty side of the island, where there weren't any houses. There was a small beach with an outcropping of rocks, and further back, a line of trees marked the entrance to what must've been a forest. Annabeth couldn't see any monsters, but she had a feeling they were lingering in the shadows of the trees. She could feel their presence.

She went to her quarters to change into battle armor and arm herself with weapons. She had her knife tucked into her boot and her sword attached to her side, and she felt ready for a fight. Her skin was tingling with excitement, and the tug in her chest was pulling her towards the shore. She made sure to clasp her father's necklace around her neck for good luck. She tucked it safely underneath her shirt, where it was hidden by her armor.

When she joined the crew on the main deck, they were all gathered at the forefront, staring out at the beach. No one made a sound, but they all had their weapons raised, and they were all dressed for a battle. They were just waiting for Captain Percy to give the orders.

Annabeth looked behind her to see him standing on top of a platform. His sword was raised with the rest of them, although Annabeth didn't see how he could fight since he couldn't leave the ship.

"Captain?" one of the crewmembers said quietly.

Percy kept his eyes on the line of trees and nodded curtly. "Attack."

And with that, the Pride's crew jumped over the sides of the ship and down into the shallow water below them. Annabeth followed after a quick glance back at Percy. He was staring at the beach longingly.

She swung herself over the railing of the ship and landed with a small splash in the shallow water. She followed two of the crewmembers, Beckendorf and a boy named Michael Yew. She slunk between them quietly, her eyes fixed on the dark beach.

They all heard the deep, rumbling growl that came from the trees. The sound of it rattled Annabeth's bones, and she raised her sword.

Slowly and quietly, Annabeth moved ahead of all the crewmembers so she would be the first one to approach the trees. This was her quest, after all.

Her heart began to beat faster with each step she took. She could just see the outline of something hidden in the forest – something big.

It jumped out at her, but she was ready. She swung her Celestial bronze sword in a large arc, and the monster disintegrated.

"That was too easy," a crewmember muttered beside her.

"There are more," Annabeth said, keeping her eyes on the trees. "There have to be."

"Annabeth, look out!"

She barely had time to turn around in shock before another monster had her pinned to the sand, and her sword flew out of her hand.

It was a griffin, with a pointy, blood-covered beak and sharp talons. The griffin screeched at Annabeth, nearly shattering her eardrums, and that was when the rest of the monsters poured forth from the trees. Percy's crew shouted battle cries and surged forward into the fight.

Annabeth kicked at the griffin, but her sword had fallen away from her. She turned her head away and closed her eyes as the griffin's beak came closer to her face. If she could just reach the knife in her boot . . . there! She just managed to grasp the handle with two fingers. She pulled it out and brought it upward with a forceful thrust, plunging the blade deep into the griffin's stomach. The bird screeched in rage and loosened its grip on her shoulders, and Annabeth rolled away. She grabbed her sword and slashed one of the griffin's wings off. The monster screamed in pain as it crumbled into dust.

Annabeth didn't waste any time. She turned and joined Percy's crewmembers in battle, slashing her sword and screaming out war cries, destroying monsters left and right. There were so _many _of them – someone must have sent them, Annabeth thought. There would never have been this many monsters on an island unless someone put them there for a reason.

As Annabeth fought, she caught fleeting glimpses of Percy standing on board the Pride, surveying the battle from the ship. He looked helpless, like he wanted to be down on the beach with the rest of his crew. A few times, Annabeth could feel his eyes on her, watching her battle movements. She hardly paid attention to what she was doing – all she knew was that she had to get rid of the monsters.

All of a sudden, a searing pain shot across her back, and Annabeth cried out. She heard Percy shout her name as she crumpled to the ground, her sword falling out of her hand. Her back felt like it was on fire – whatever it was that had hit her had managed to slice _through _her armor, but she couldn't even stop to wonder how. It hurt too much.

"Grover!" she heard Percy shout. "Get Annabeth!"

Her eyes fluttered as she felt herself being lifted from the ground and carried back to the ship. Her vision blurred, and she couldn't see the battle clearly. She didn't know if they were winning or losing. She tried to stay conscious through the pain, but it was too much. The fire coursed through her back, and she moaned.

"Stay with me, Annabeth," Grover muttered. "We're almost to the ship." He shouted behind him to Will Solace, a son of Apollo. "Will! We need a healer!"

Annabeth felt herself being carried back onto the ship. She was barely conscious of Percy taking her from Grover's arms and carrying her to her quarters. He was talking to her, trying to get her to stay awake.

"Focus on my voice, Annabeth," he was saying. "Stay awake. You can do it." He brushed her hair back from her forehead with a gentle hand, and Annabeth sighed. She closed her eyes. "No! Keep your eyes open!"

They laid her down on her stomach, and she felt them undo the straps of her torn armor. Her shirt was torn, too, and they moved it carefully so Will could see the wound.

"Did anybody see what got her?" he asked. "This is bad – really bad."

"I didn't see anything," Grover said desperately. "I was too focused on fighting my own monsters."

"I saw a streak of something," Percy said, his eyes on Annabeth's face. Sweat was beading on her forehead, and her breathing was getting slower and slower. "It was fast. I didn't see it clearly enough to recognize what it was."

"Whatever it was, it was strong enough to cut through the armor," Will muttered as his hands fluttered gently over Annabeth's injury. "I don't know any monster that can do that."

Neither did Annabeth. She wanted to think about it – it was important – but it was getting harder and harder to keep her eyes open. So she closed them and went to sleep.


	7. Chapter 7

"Annabeth?"

Annabeth opened her eyes. Percy was sitting in front of her, stroking her hair back from her sweaty forehead. He looked worried, but he was smiling.

"You're awake," he said, relieved. "How do you feel?"

She was still lying on her stomach. She tried to sit up, only to realize that she didn't have a shirt on. She blushed madly and kept her chest covered with her blanket as she rose to a sitting position, Percy watching her carefully. His arms were outstretched, ready to catch her if she fell. "Are you okay?"

"I – ow. I think so." She winced and tried to turn her head to get a look at her wound, but the movement was too painful. The wound was on the back of her right shoulder. "How bad is it?"

"It was pretty bad," Percy admitted. "But Will's a good healer. He fixed you up. You should be fine in a few hours."

"Did we kill all the monsters?" she asked, and Percy laughed. He nodded.

"Yeah. We did."

Annabeth smiled. "Good. I don't know why so many of them were there – Kithira isn't any place special. Somebody summoned them there for a purpose."

"To throw you off in your quest?" he suggested, his dark eyebrows drawn down over his eyes.

"Probably," Annabeth said. "Although I can't think of any gods that would do that. As far as I know, I haven't done anything to make them angry."

Percy looked troubled for a minute. Then his expression relaxed, and he smiled. "Well, you're safe now. That's what's important."

"Are we still in Kithira?" Annabeth asked, and he nodded.

"Once all the monsters were gone, I sent the crew out to search for the treasure," he explained. "I don't know if it's here, but it's worth looking."

Annabeth studied him carefully. He was staring at his compass, which was going crazy, pointing in all directions. He sighed and put it back in his jacket.

"We'll find it, Percy," Annabeth said softly. "You won't have to sail the seas forever."

"You sound so sure of yourself," he said.

"That's because I am. I know we'll find it. And your curse will be broken." She reached out and put her hand on top of his. He smiled at her, but his eyes were sad as he turned his hand over and held hers. Little jolts of electricity went through them, like it did every time they touched, and Annabeth's heart beat a little faster when Percy twined his fingers through hers. His hands were rough and calloused from steering the ship for a hundred years.

They stayed still, sitting there and holding hands, until footsteps came pounding down the wooden stairs. Annabeth pulled her hand away from Percy's as Beckendorf stood at attention in front of them.

"We searched the whole island, Captain. Couldn't find anything."

Percy sighed as if this was news he'd expected. "Right. Well, just keep going south, then. Annabeth says there's a piece of land behind Kithira, and that's our destination."

"Yes, sir." Beckendorf nodded and trudged back up to the main deck.

Percy smiled at Annabeth and reached up to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. Her skin tingled, and she blushed. "I'll leave you alone to get some rest. Your clothes are right there. Just shout if you need anything and one of us will answer."

She nodded and smiled back at him, watching him walk up the stairs. When Annabeth was alone, she sighed. She rubbed her thumb over her necklace.

Who had put those monsters on Kithira?

Her first thought was Ares, god of war. He wouldn't have had a reason to put them there except that he liked fighting. Her second thought was Hera – the queen of the gods had always disliked Athena, Annabeth's mother.

But other than that, Annabeth was coming up blank. She had no idea why those monsters had been there, and that terrified her.

Annabeth stood from her bed and walked over to the mirror. She kept a sheet wrapped around her as she stood with her back to the mirror and tried to get a look at her injury. It was covered in a big white bandage. What was the thing that had cut her? She hadn't seen it – out of nowhere, there'd just been a pain in her back. And Percy had said that whatever cut her was too fast for him to see clearly.

The wound hurt if she moved too much, so she tried not to move her neck or her shoulder as she slowly got dressed. She found her sword and her knife each waiting for her underneath her clothes. Someone had cleaned them so that the blades shone brightly in the dim light. She slipped the knife inside her boot and strapped the sword to the scabbard at her waist. It would've hurt too much to put her hair in a ponytail, so she left it down around her shoulders. When she went up to the main deck, the crew was attending to their usual duties. She looked for Percy and finally saw him hanging from the marine rope ladder on the side of the ship. He had both feet stuck in the ladder, but he was only holding on with one hand. His back was turned to her. The wind blew his hair and coat back.

"What's he looking for?" Annabeth asked Grover quietly. The first mate had appeared beside her. Grover stared at his captain and shrugged.

"He does that sometimes. Just hangs there like that and stares out at the sea. I'm surprised his arms don't get tired," he said.

It was another five minutes before Percy climbed down. He looked sad – Annabeth noticed he looked like that a lot. But when he saw her, he smiled.

"Feeling better?" he asked her, and she nodded. "Good. We're skirting around Kithira right now."

"We're getting close," Annabeth said, feeling the tug in her chest. "I can feel it."

It was daytime now – the sky was blue, with sparse white clouds dotting it here and there. Annabeth looked around. She couldn't see any other land besides Kithira, which was slowly receding as they sailed farther away from it, but she could tell they were making good progress. The tug in her chest was stronger than it had been when it first appeared.

Percy moved to the wheel of the ship to steer. Annabeth watched him for a few moments before he looked at her and smiled.

"Do you want to try?" he asked.

A grin stretched across her features. "Can I?"

He stepped back and gestured to the wheel. "Have at it, Captain Chase."

Annabeth took his place behind the wheel of the ship. She wrapped her hands around the handles and immediately felt something surge through her – it was like a wash of memories, although she could've sworn she'd never experienced any of it in her life. She saw Percy and his crew through the years as they sailed from sea to sea, searching for the world's most valuable treasure. She saw the crew as they raided villages with grins on their faces, and she saw Percy standing on the ship, his hands on his hips. She saw the days _before _he was cursed – when he was Captain Perseus Jackson, the youngest pirate captain on the seas. She saw him on land, grinning as he fought with Riptide, having the time of his life. She saw him laughing and happy. The memories kept coming, and she saw how he changed – how he became sad and lonely after he was cursed. She saw the years pass and she saw Percy and the crew stay the same age, never growing older, losing hope as they raided island after island and never found the treasure.

Then, she saw her face. She saw herself, the first time she'd jumped onto the railing of the Pride, her sword pointed at the crew. She saw herself dancing and laughing with the crewmembers, saw herself eating dinner with Percy, and she saw, with clarity, the change she'd made on board the ship. She saw how she'd made them happier than they'd been in a long time.

When Annabeth let go of the wheel, she stared at Percy questioningly.

"What was that?" she asked.

Percy patted the wheel almost lovingly. "What did she show you?"

"The past," Annabeth said. "She – I mean, I saw images of you guys before you were cursed."

Percy's eyes got a faraway look in them as he took the wheel again and stared out to sea. "We had fun, then," he said. "We sailed from coast to coast, and I could go on land. We would steal all the treasure we could get our hands on. Life was great. I thought I was invincible."

He looked reverent as Annabeth watched him relive the memories. When he started to look sad again, she stepped forward. "Let me drive again."

He stepped back without a word, and this time, when Annabeth took the wheel, no images came to her. She found herself already knowing how to steer, and she navigated the waters with ease. The ocean breeze whipping her hair back, the smell of the salt water . . . it was invigorating. She thought that maybe being a pirate wasn't so bad. But when she thought about doing this for a hundred years, like Percy had, never being able to step foot on land again . . . it made her as sad as Percy looked.

"We'll find the treasure, Percy," she told him softly. "I promise."

He gave her a small smile that didn't reach his eyes. Annabeth looked out towards the sea, and she sailed Poseidon's Pride into the unknown.


	8. Chapter 8

They didn't reach land for another six hours. Once they had left Kithira behind completely, Annabeth started looking for the tiny little island without a name she'd seen on the map. When she saw nothing but ocean in front of her, disappointment flooded her chest. But she wouldn't give up. She couldn't. It wasn't just her quest that made her want to find Aphrodite's Treasure anymore – it was Percy. She wanted to find it for him. She wanted his curse to be broken. And she wanted to see his face when he stepped on land for the first time in over a hundred years.

When they finally reached the island Annabeth had seen on the map, it appeared out of the fog like magic. Just like Percy's ship had when Annabeth first saw it.

"There!" she pointed ahead excitedly as the fog started to clear. The crewmembers all followed the direction she was pointing, and she watched them all share curious glances. Percy was staring at the island ahead impassively. Annabeth couldn't read his expression again. She hated it when he did that.

Everyone fell quiet as they approached the island. It was small – too small to hold civilization, so Annabeth knew it was empty. There wasn't much on it but a wide beach and a small forest of trees.

But she could feel it. The tug in her chest was so strong it actually hurt. This was where she was supposed to go on her quest. This was where she would find Aphrodite's Treasure.

When they were close enough, Percy gave the orders to anchor the ship. Annabeth's skin was buzzing. This was it. She was so close.

The crewmembers let Annabeth be the leader as she climbed down the side of the ship and ran onto the island. They all followed her onto the beach and looked around expectantly, as if the treasure would magically appear in plain sight.

"Search everywhere," she said excitedly. "It's here somewhere. I can feel it."

The Pride's crew listened to her like she was the captain. The boys spread out around the island in groups. Annabeth stayed standing on the beach. She closed her eyes and concentrated, paying attention to the tug in her chest. She rubbed her necklace for good luck.

Then, suddenly, she remembered something Aphrodite had told her when she first assigned her quest. _The item you seek is not one, but two. _Annabeth had forgotten to tell the crew to look for two things. The trouble was that she still didn't know what the treasure looked like. She bit her lip in frustration.

She opened her eyes and turned to look behind her. Percy was watching her. Annabeth walked back to the ship and climbed aboard. She went to stand beside Percy, looking out over the island. From this vantage point, she could see the Pride's crew spread out over the land.

"It's here, Percy," she said quietly, rubbing her necklace. "I know it."

For the first time in a while, he looked hopeful. "Really?"

Annabeth nodded and smiled at him. "Really." She kept rubbing her necklace, hoping it would lead her to the treasure somehow.

Percy frowned when he noticed her jewelry. "Hey, that's mine. Where did you get that?"

Annabeth looked at her necklace in surprise. "What do you mean, it's yours? My dad bought this for me when I was twelve. It's my good luck charm."

Percy's eyes widened. He looked down at the bunch of necklaces he always wore around his neck – Annabeth had never really paid too much attention to them before, but her heart stopped when Percy reached behind his head and unclasped a very familiar piece of jewelry. It was the exact same necklace Annabeth was wearing. A circular silver disc on a plain silver chain.

Annabeth stopped rubbing her necklace. "Where did you get that?"

"My men found it in a raid on Crete ten years ago," he said.

"My father bought this necklace for me from a jewelry store," Annabeth said. "But it can't be . . . ."

_The item you seek is not one, but two._

"It must be a mass-produced thing," Percy said. "A bunch of people probably have one just like it. It's just a coincidence."

Annabeth shook her head. "No. Aphrodite told me that the treasure wasn't just one thing, it was two. This is it, Percy. Our necklaces are the treasure."

She took hers off and held it out towards his. When they were an inch away from each other, the two discs flew towards each other and met like they were magnets. Annabeth and Percy watched in shock as the discs began to glow and spin. There was a bright light that practically blinded Annabeth, and she had to look away for a second. When she looked back, a silver heart was floating in the air. Annabeth and Percy looked at each other, then back at the heart.

Annabeth reached out and took the heart from the air. It was light in her palm – it weighed almost nothing. When she touched the surface, images and pictures flooded her mind – they were pictures of the goddess Aphrodite, smiling and kissing a man who Annabeth could only assume was Cristovao, the mortal the goddess had loved.

"Are you saying that I've literally had the treasure with me the _whole time_?" Percy demanded angrily.

"I did, too," Annabeth said. "I can't believe I didn't see it before."

"We can't find anything, Captain!" one of the crewmembers shouted up to the ship, and Annabeth shook her head.

"It's okay," she called back to him. "We found it."

At those words, the crewmembers all began to murmur excitedly. They climbed quickly aboard the ship to see what Annabeth was holding.

"That's it?" Connor Stoll said. "It's not much."

"It's Aphrodite's heart," Annabeth whispered, running her fingers over the smooth silver heart. "She gave her heart to Cristovao. When you touch it, you can see pictures of the two of them. It was so Cristovao could remember her when she couldn't be with him."

The crewmembers all started to pass the heart around, and Annabeth saw each of their eyes widen in turn. When it got back to her hands, she held it gently, as if it were the most valuable thing in the world.

"Percy!" Her head snapped up. "Did it work? Can you go on land?"

"I . . ." He was staring at his compass. The needle kept spinning around and around. It was still broken. "I don't know."

"Try!" Grover said. "Take the heart and try. This could be it, Percy. The end of your curse."

Percy looked at Annabeth, uncertain. She smiled encouragingly at him and held out the heart. He took it slowly. Annabeth and the crew all watched silently as he clutched it in his hands and climbed down the side of the ship. He hesitated on the last rung of the ladder.

"Go on, Percy," Annabeth said, her heart pounding.

With one last look at her, Percy stepped onto land.

There was a tense moment where it seemed like the whole world fell utterly and completely silent.

For a second, it looked like it was working. Percy was holding the heart, and he wasn't disintegrating into dust like he said he would. He looked up at Annabeth with the biggest smile she'd ever seen, and there was so much joy in his green eyes that Annabeth got tears in her eyes.

Then Percy gasped in pain and crumpled to the ground.

"No!" Annabeth shouted. She and several other crewmembers immediately jumped overboard and gathered the captain into their arms to heft him back on board. His skin was starting to wither and turn gray, and Annabeth could physically see the life draining out of him. It was the most horrible thing she'd ever seen in her life, and she'd seen a lot of horrible things.

As soon as they got Percy back onto the ship, he was back to normal. His skin returned to its normal color and he looked full and alive again.

"Captain?" Travis Stoll asked hesitantly as Grover helped Percy to stand. Tears fell down Annabeth's cheeks.

"Percy, I'm sorry . . . ." she whispered helplessly, shaking her head. Percy looked at her, shoved the heart forcefully into her hands, and pushed his way through his crew. He stormed across the deck and disappeared into his quarters, slamming the doors behind him.


	9. Chapter 9

With heavy hearts, everyone on the Poseidon's Pride set sail back towards Athens. Percy didn't come out of the captain's quarters no matter how many times Annabeth knocked. The crewmembers all looked depressed and sad again, and nothing Annabeth could do would cheer them up. They had lost hope. They'd found Aphrodite's Treasure, but Percy was still cursed. There was nothing left.

Annabeth retreated into her quarters with the heart. She stared at it for a while before she shoved it angrily into her pack. She was happy she'd found it, but she was angry for Percy. He didn't deserve this. He didn't deserve another hundred years at sea, searching for a treasure that could never be found.

What _was _the world's most valuable treasure? On the four-day journey back to Athens, Annabeth drove herself crazy trying to think of an answer. During those four days, Percy hardly came out of his cabin, and when he did, he hardly spoke except to bark orders at his crew. He didn't look at or speak to Annabeth, and it surprised her how much it hurt.

The journey back to Greece was silent and sad. Annabeth tried her hardest to think of a solution to Percy's curse, but she kept coming up blank, and she hated herself for it. She wished she could help him more than anything.

When the Pride docked in Athens, Annabeth didn't want to leave. She stood on the main deck with her pack slung over her shoulders, staring sadly at the crew, her friends. They were all looking down at the ground. Annabeth's heart was slowly breaking.

Percy didn't come out of his cabin to say goodbye. That was what hurt most of all.

"Thank you," Annabeth said softly, and a few of the crewmembers looked up at her with sad smiles. "I couldn't have made this journey without you. Any of you. You've all helped me on my quest, and I'll make sure to mention that to Aphrodite. I don't deserve all the credit."

No one said anything. Annabeth's eyes watered, and she tried to hide her tears.

"I'm so glad I met you all," she said. "You're my friends. I will always remember each and every one of you. I hope . . . I hope I'll get to see you again someday."

She knew it was a vain hope, but she needed to say it. She sniffled and waved her hand at the crew as she climbed over the side of the ship.

"Goodbye," she said. "And tell Percy . . ." What? She didn't know. She wanted to tell him so many things – that she was sorry, most of all.

"We will," Grover nodded at her. "Goodbye, Annabeth. It was really, really nice to meet you."

Five minutes later, Annabeth was standing on the docks, watching Poseidon's Pride sail away, doomed to spend eternity on the sea.

She clutched Aphrodite's Treasure in her fist and let herself cry for a few minutes before she straightened and took a deep breath. She could feel sad later. Right now, she had a job to do.

She was supposed to return the treasure to its original resting place – with Cristovao. Athens was a big city, but somehow, she seemed to know where his grave was. The tug in her chest lead her there. When she reached the cemetery where he was buried, Annabeth searched up and down the rows of headstones until she came to the oldest section of the graveyard, where the graves were crumbling with age. Cristovao's headstone was one of the oldest there. She could barely read the engraving, which was written in Ancient Greek.

Annabeth took a deep breath and placed Aphrodite's Treasure on top of the grave. As she watched, the heart melted into the stone and disappeared.

"Well done, Annabeth."

She looked up. The goddess was standing a few feet behind the grave, smiling at her. Annabeth didn't have the heart to smile back.

"You knew I had the treasure the whole time, didn't you?" she demanded. Aphrodite nodded.

"I did. But you needed to find the other half of the heart."

"Which Percy had," Annabeth said. "What does that mean?"

"What do you think it means, child?"

"I don't know. Maybe it was just coincidence. He said he found it in a raid on Crete –"

"Because I lead his ship there," Aphrodite cut Annabeth off. "I lead his men to find the necklace."

"But . . . why?"

Aphrodite smiled coyly. "I love a good love story."

Annabeth shook her head. "But I'm not – I mean, I don't – we're not . . ." She stumbled over her words, and the goddess chuckled in amusement.

"You may not realize it yet," Aphrodite said. "But you are. I'm the goddess of love, darling. I know it when I see it."

"I was only on the ship for . . . eight days," Annabeth counted quickly in her head, and the goddess of love shrugged indifferently.

"There is no time limit when it comes to falling in love," she said. "It may take a day, a week, months or years. Everyone falls in love at a different pace. But the strongest kind of love, Annabeth, is the fast kind. The whirlwind romances. They impact us the most, because no matter how long it lasts, you'll think about it every day for the rest of your life. You'll always wonder about what could've been."

Annabeth knew the goddess was right. She would think about Captain Perseus Jackson every night for the rest of her life – she would always remember the voyage she'd taken on his ship, the friendships she'd made with his crew. She would dream about Percy when she slept. Even if she found someone else, got married, had a family, Annabeth knew she would never be truly happy until she saw Percy again. He would always be there in the back of her mind.

Aphrodite smiled at her. "Love is the real treasure, Annabeth. Remember that." And then the goddess disappeared.

Annabeth felt like she'd had the wind knocked out of her.

She stood there in shock for a few seconds before she turned and ran with all her might back to the docks.


	10. Chapter 10

"Captain Wells! Captain Wells!" Annabeth shouted his name over and over again, hoping against hope that he was here. She looked frantically for the Cleopatra.

"Annabeth?" The captain stepped in front of her path, catching her arms as she ran into him with full force. "You're back!" When he saw her expression, his eyes widened. "Calm down, Annabeth. What's wrong? What happened?"

"I need you to get me back out to sea," she said in a rush. "I need to find the Pride. I need to find Captain Jackson again. Please, it's important."

He studied her face for a moment. He must've seen something in her eyes, because he nodded.

"It's going to take at least another hour to get the ship ready," he warned her. Annabeth wanted to scream at him that they didn't have time, but she forced herself to hold back. She nodded.

"Just hurry," she pleaded. "I need to find him."

It was the longest hour of Annabeth's life. When the Cleopatra was finally ready for departure, she was the first one on board, her eyes sweeping over the sea. She knew Percy's ship was long gone by now, but she didn't care. She was going to find him if it killed her.

"Which way, Annabeth?" Captain Wells asked her, and Annabeth immediately pointed a finger in the direction Percy's ship had gone.

"That way," she said, her heart pounding in her chest. "They went that way."

They sailed for hours. They sailed until the sun went down and the moon and stars came out, but Annabeth begged Captain Wells not to stop. They needed to keep going forward. She needed to find Percy and tell him. And she knew, without a doubt, that this was her only chance.

It had been several days when Annabeth finally started to give up hope.

Captain Wells put his hand on her shoulder. "I'm sorry," he said, but it didn't do anything. It didn't matter. Annabeth stood at the front of the ship and cried silently to herself, hugging her arms around herself.

She was too late. She would never see Percy Jackson again.

That thought was enough to make a fresh wave of tears come crashing through her eyes, and she sobbed with grief.

"Captain Wells," someone shouted. "There's something on the horizon."

Annabeth's head snapped up. It was too much to hope, but she turned and looked.

A familiar dense fog was misting over the sea. Annabeth's spirits soared.

She started to shout his name even before the ship came into view.

"Percy!" she shouted, cupping her hands over her mouth so the sound would echo. "Percy Jackson! _Percy_!"

As the ship grew clearer, she started to hear the sound of her name being called over the water.

"Annabeth?"

"Percy!" She shouted, tears in her eyes. "It's me! It's Annabeth!" She waved her hands in the air so he could see her. She could see him standing on the deck now, a tiny spot at the center of her vision. The world fell away, and he was all she saw.

When the ship was close enough, Annabeth did the same thing she'd done the first time she boarded the Pride – she cut a rope, grabbed onto it with all her strength, and swung across onto the other ship. She landed right in front of Percy and threw her arms around him with such force that he got the breath knocked out of him.

"Annabeth?" His green eyes were wide with surprise, and the crewmembers were staring at Annabeth in disbelief, like they didn't think she was real. "What are you doing here?"

"It's love," Annabeth said breathlessly as she put her hand on his cheek. "Percy, the most valuable treasure in the world isn't gold or money or actual treasure. It's _love_."

Slowly, Percy's hand came up to hold Annabeth's. In his other hand, he was holding his compass.

"The compass . . . led me to your ship," he said. "All this time, it kept pointing to you, which is why I thought it was broken." He looked up at her in amazement. "All this time, it was pointing to you."

"When I returned the heart to its rightful place, Aphrodite was there, and she told me," Annabeth breathed out. "That's how I figured it out. Love is the most valuable treasure, Percy. And I know this is going to sound a little insane, because we've only known each other for a week, and that's such a short time, but I think I love you, Percy Jackson. I love you."

She kissed him. Percy's arms came up to wind around her waist, pulling her closer, and he picked her up and swung her around in a circle. The crewmembers cheered.

When they broke away from each other, they were both gasping for air, but neither of them minded. Annabeth stroked her fingertips across Percy's face, and he held her tightly, like he never wanted to let her go again.

"A week _is _a short time," he pointed out. "But it's enough. I love you, too, Annabeth."

"Captain Perseus Jackson, the best pirate ever to sail, _in love_," one of the crewmembers said incredulously. "Who would've thought?"

Everyone laughed, and Percy grinned. He kissed Annabeth again, and her heart fluttered so hard she was sure it was going to fly out of her chest.

Poseidon's Pride and the Cleopatra sailed back to Athens together. When they reached the docks, all of Percy's crewmembers got off first. Annabeth held Percy's hand. She jumped off the ladder before him, keeping a tight hold on his hand. He hesitated, looking at her. Annabeth smiled at him.

Percy stepped onto the dock.

And nothing happened.

All at once, the crewmembers erupted into a roar of cheers and victorious shouts. The curse was lifted. After one hundred and seven years at sea, Captain Perseus Jackson had found the most valuable treasure in the world. And it was in the form of a teenage girl with curly blonde hair and stormy gray eyes. Annabeth, daughter of Athena, was his treasure. Percy had never felt so happy in his life.

Annabeth knew they had a lot of things to figure out – where would Percy live now that he could finally walk on land again? Where would the rest of his crew live? After a century, all of their families were long dead. They had no one but each other. What would they do now? They were still pirates, after all, and pirates were meant to sail the seas.

"I've been sailing for over a hundred years," Percy said as if reading Annabeth's thoughts. He pulled her closer and kissed her like he'd never get to do it again. "I think it's high time I took a break. What do you think, boys?"

The boys cheered again, and Annabeth smiled as she hugged Percy. She knew they had a lot of things to figure out.

But at least they would figure it out together.


End file.
